


pearls

by freedomatsea



Series: a messy situation [25]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Lots of Angst, like i cried writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 17:22:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18480847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: Beth and Rio realize there's really only one option (part 25 of 'a messy situation')





	pearls

Beth inhaled slowly, shifting as she started to come awake. She could smell the warm scent of coffee in the air and it dragged her out of her sleepy bliss. It took her a moment to realize where she was. Rio’s apartment. On the sofa.

“ _ Mmm _ . Coffee” She whispered as Rio sat the mug down on the coffee table. “ _ Hi _ .”

“Hey, baby.” Rio said as he moved to sit down on the opposite side of the sofa, giving her hip a gentle rub. “Sleep well?”

Beth stretched her legs out, pressing her feet against the side of his leg as she turned onto her back. She sat up slowly, pushing her fingers through her messy hair. “Well, I think. What time is it?”

“After six.” Rio told her, “I figured you’d need to get up for a bit, so you’d sleep tonight.” He rested his hand on her lower leg, running his fingers over her pajama bottoms. 

She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes and yawned exhaustedly. “Coffee smells like heaven.” Beth remarked as she slowly sat up, curling her legs beneath her as she leaned forward to pick up the mug. “What did I miss while I slept?”

“I dozed for an hour.” Rio admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “And then I sent the boys over to do another sweep at your house.  _ Nothin _ ’.”

“So we can go home soon?” Beth questioned, her brows drawn together. 

“Yea.” He nodded, “We just gotta be careful. Doors locked, windows drawn…” Rio pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, sighing heavily.

Beth leaned forward to grab her cellphone off the table, before she scooted down the sofa to lean against Rio. “Annie says Dean actually showed up to clean.” She said as she thumbed through her texts. 

Rio draped his arm over her shoulders,  _ Good _ .” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Jackass is good for somethin’.”

“I’m still  _ so _ sorry.” Beth told him, taking a sip of her coffee and turning to face him. “I don’t know why I’m shocked that he locked you out.”

He shrugged. “It’s nothin’ baby. I ain’t gonna hold that against you.” He squeezed her arm. “You needed to see the kids.”

Beth rested her cheek against his shoulder, “Judith is a bitch.” She remarked, before adding. “You can see where  _ Deansie _ gets it.” 

Rio let out a rumble of laughter at that, “You sayin’  _ Deansie _ ’s a bitch?” 

Beth laughed, “He’s got tendencies.” She turned to look at him with a smirk twitching at the corners of her lips. “Not to be confused with a  _ boss bitch _ , though.” 

He grinned at her, “Yea, there’s only one boss bitch around here.” Rio pressed his lips to her forehead, rubbing his thumb over her shoulder. 

“And that’s  _ me _ .” She she chuckled softly, leaning forward to sit her mug down on the coffee table, “You know I love  _ this _ , right?” Beth said, turning to look at him. “I don’t want this life to go away.”

Rio scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, nodding his head slowly. “Yea.” He rested his hand on her leg, giving it a squeeze. “I’m tryin’ to figure something out, baby.”

“Turner took them  _ all _ out so…” Beth grimaced as she saw flashes from the shooting in her mind. It kept coming back, as many times as she tried to push it down. “So they can’t report back. But… they thought I was the narc. They didn’t go after  _ you _ .”

“Goin’ after you could be goin’ after me, Elizabeth.” Rio took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the ring on her finger. “They go after people you love.”

Beth sighed heavily. “But the fact that Turner showed up…”

“Yea, well… I bypassed the cops and went straight for him.” Rio rolled a shoulder. 

“ _ You _ called Turner?”

Rio clicked his tongue against his teeth, “What was I supposed to do? Stay on the phone and listen to you get killed?  _ Bullshit _ .”

Beth cocked her head to the side as she turned to look at him, “Do you know more than just Demetrius?”

“Nah.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “Demetrius is the only one embedded with the feds.”

“It all happened so fast.” Beth shook her head slowly, her brows drawn together.

“It was about forty-five minutes.” Rio told her, rubbing his thumb over her leg. “You good?”

She rubbed her hand over her forehead, “Yeah. It comes back in flashes.” Beth admitted. “The smell of blood. The glint of the sun on a gun. Chewing tobacco.” She shuddered a little. “I hate it. I hate feeling like this.”

“It’s gonna linger.” Rio warned her. “It doesn’t get any easier.” He reaches for her hand again, squeezing it tightly. “It’ll come back when you least expect it. You’ll see somethin’, smell somethin’.”

Beth blinked slowly, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. “All I could think about was that my kids needed me.” She said quietly. “Dean’s a decent father, but he’s an idiot. I can’t imagine him raising the girls.”

“You don’t gotta worry about that.” Rio assured her, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing each knuckle. 

“He hates that the children like you.” Beth remarked, “You can see it in his eyes.”

Rio rolled his shoulder and shrugged, “I could feel the daggers in his glare when Emma wanted to sit on my lap this mornin’.” He rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. “She’s a good kid.” 

“She adores you.” Beth said with warm smile, squeezing his hand. “I won’t let Dean ruin that.”

“That’s not…” Rio sank back against the sofa, raking his free hand over his face and rubbing at the back of his neck. “If I do end up… turning myself in. That’s all gonna come out.”

“I won’t let it.” Beth shook her head. “I was in the room when it happened…” Her gaze fell on the ring on her finger. “They can’t make me testify against you.”

“We ain’t married, baby.” Rio told her with an arched brow. 

“If you’re going to turn yourself in, we  _ are  _ going to be married.” Beth said definitely. “I’m not about to let Turner use me against you. I don’t care if all of Detroit’s thugs think I’d flip, but I won’t do it.”

“ _ Elizabeth _ .”

“Don’t Elizabeth me.” Beth pried her hand out of Rio’s hold. “And you’re  _ not _ going to turn yourself in. It’s not happening.”

“Then what do you plan on doing?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly.”

Beth’s hands curled into fists. “Racketeering  _ alone _ runs at twenty years for only one count, Rio. Drug dealing? The cap is like a hundred fucking years! Not to mention money laundering, attempted murder, concealing a body, and every other crime you’ve done in your life.” She wiped at the angry hot tears running down her cheeks. “We’ll do what Turner wants! We’ll give him the info.” She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her. “Because I am  _ not _ losing you.”

“And paint an even bigger target on your back?” Rio’s voice sounded dire, an edge of anger brimming there. “This ain’t a game, Beth. You tried to play it like one and you almost  _ died _ . Ever think maybe I don’t wanna lose you too? But goddamn, I’d rather be in a cell knowing you ain’t six feet under.”

Beth stood up from the sofa, raking her fingers through her hair, before she turned around to face him. “So what do you purpose? You think Gretchen can buy off some judge with an expensive bottle of whiskey? Because somehow I don’t think they’re gonna reduce some five hundred year sentence to something you’ll still be alive for the end of.”

Rio stood up too, pursuing her. “You think you’re gonna take down every fucking gang in Detroit? You try that and it’s gonna be  _ your _ blood spilled. You can’t defy death a second time.”

“Then we’ll be  _ smarter _ about it.” Beth said desperately. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Don’t underestimate what Gretchen can negotiate.” Rio quipped, cocking his head to the side. “Could get me in and out in a year.”

Beth pressed her lips together for a moment, before she couldn’t contain herself, “A  _ year _ ?” She laughed bitterly. “Don’t bullshit me Rio.”

“They can’t get me on everything.” Rio said with a shrug. 

“You already talked to her.”

Rio nodded his head slowly, his jaw set hard. “Yea. Just let her know what was goin’ on. They might get me on counterfeiting. But they ain’t gonna get me for pills. My ass is covered.” 

“And the racketeering?”

“ _ Eh _ , harder to get me on.” Rio retorted. “I ain’t got a business to be fraudulent with.”

Beth wrapped her arms around her middle. “And everything else Turner alluded to?”

“Statute of limitations.” Rio rubbed his hands together. “And he ain’t gonna be able to dredge up shit from when I was a kid.”

“You can’t promise me it’ll only be a year.” Beth not down hard enough on her bottom lip to taste blood on her tongue. “You can’t promise me it won’t be five… ten… fifteen years.”

“This  _ is _ the life, Beth. You die or you go to jail. I should’a known better than to think I could get out.”

“So you’re just gonna give up?” Beth’s shoulders sank and she blinked back fresh tears. “On us?”

“I’m doin’ this so  _ your  _ family is safe.” Rio sighed heavily.

Beth swallowed thickly. “Then you’re doing this?”

“I have to.” Rio said as he approached her slowly, reaching out to run his hands over her arms as he leaned in to brush his lips against hers. 

Beth curled her fingers around the back of his neck as she leaned up to meet his lips. She didn’t want to let go of him. Her lips pressed against his, her tongue parting his lips, deepening the kiss.

Rio’s arm snaked around her, crushing her to him as his own tongue swept over hers. His fingers tangled in her hair, cradling the back of her head as he took a step forward, guiding her backwards.

Beth pulled his shirt up over his abs, breaking the kiss long enough to pull it over his head and toss it aside. She  _ needed _ him. It was this desperate sort of need, all over again. A need to know that he was still there. To feel him on her skin like he was part of her.

Rio took the opportunity to unbutton her pajama top, his hand sweeping over the curve of her breast through the tank she wore. He brushed his thumb over her nipple through the fabric, making her moan softly as it drew to a peak.

Beth ran her hands over his chest, scraping her nails lightly at first, before she pressed hard enough to leave red streaks in their wake. If he was going to leave, she wanted to leave him with marks of her on his skin. 

“I love you.” Beth whispered, leaning up to kiss along his jaw, nipping lightly at the scruffy skin there. 

“I’m doin’ this because I love you.” Rio hissed out, jerking his head so he could catch her lips. He cupped her breast fully, palming it as he pressed her backwards still. 

Her hands went to his jeans, cupping him through the rough fabric, stroking the length of him until she felt him rumble a low groan against her lips. She wanted him.  _ Needed _ him. 

This was a gangbanger who had gone from careful indifference towards her, to mild entertainment at her persistence to be part of  _ his _ world, to wanting to give it all up for her. 

Beth took a step backwards from him, wondering if she looked as wide-eyed and wild with need as she felt. She took another step back as he stepped forward. 

Rio urged her backwards, his tongue darting out over his bottom lip as his eyes swept over her. The look he gave her made lust settle heavily between her thighs. He had her caught in between the foot of the bed and himself. His hands curled around her hips, guiding her back to sit on the bed.

Beth shifted to help him slide her pajama pants and underwear down her hips, letting them fall to the ground and then Rio followed them to the floor, landing on his knees before her. His hands skimmed over her bare legs, nudging her thighs apart. 

“Lay back,” Rio rasped out as he leaned down to brush his lips against her inner thigh, his gaze flickering upwards to look at her. 

Beth shook her head, “I want to watch.” She didn’t want to miss a single moment of this. Of  _ him _ . 

Rio smirked, his hands curling around her hips as he pulled her to the very edge of the bed. He trailed his mouth along her inner thigh, drawing higher and higher until his breath was hot against the apex of her thighs. 

She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to suppress a moan that rose up in her throat as his mouth covered her cunt. His tongue darted out, sweeping between her folds, circling her clit. It was intoxicating. If she hadn’t already been slick, she certainly was now. He had awoken something within her that Beth had thought had died a  _ long _ time ago. How was she going to lose this? 

Her fingers curled around the sheets that hung over the foot of the bed, her thighs framing his head as his tongue pressed into her, thrusting in and out of her precisely the way she wanted him to  _ fuck _ her. “ _ Rio _ !” Beth gasped, forcing herself to keep her eyes on him.

Rio’s fingers dug into her hips, holding her steady and leaving his marks on her skin. She wanted his marks. She wanted them to stay on her skin. To never leave her. 

Beth felt her inner walls starting to flutter under the attention his tongue was paying to her clit. “ _ Close _ .” She whispered, her fingers reaching out to scrape over his head, trying to seek purchase on him as his mouth pushed her over the edge. 

She let out a breathy cry, her hand falling back and her eyes clenching closed. Her thighs pressed against his face from either side, but he didn’t relent. His worked his mouth over her, worked her straight through her release and headed towards another. 

“I need…” Beth panted out, trying to wiggle her way out of his grasp. “I need more.” She told him.

Rio finally relented, pulling back with a self-satisfied smirk, his tongue darting out over his bottom lip. “What do you need, baby?”

Beth stared at him for a long minute, holding his gaze before the simplest answer slipped from her lips. “ _ You _ .”

He knew exactly what she meant. 

Rio brushed his thumb over her bottom lip as he stood up slowly. Beth reached out to unbuckle his belt, unzipping his jeans and pushing them down his hips and shoving his boxers down next. As much as she wanted to wrap her lips around his cock and make him feel the way he’d made her feel, Beth wanted  _ more _ . 

Beth scooted back on the bed and Rio moved to follow her, planting his knee between her thighs as he hovered above her. She curled her fingers around the back of his neck, dragging him down for a needy kiss, groaning at the taste of herself on his mouth. She kissed him like her life depended upon it and in this moment it  _ did _ . 

Unceremoniously, Rio gripped at her hip, holding her steady as he pressed into her. He took his time filling her, like he was savoring the warm grip of her around his cock. It wasn’t just Beth that was losing him, he was losing her too. Losing this thing they’d built up together, something neither of them wanted to let go of. 

She pulled back from the kiss, brushing her fingers over his cheek, her eyes searching his. He was thrusting into her slowly, dragging the length of him out of her and then pressing in with the same steady pace. 

Rio’s hands were  _ everywhere _ , cupping her breasts, skimming along her sides, cupping her cheeks, pressing into the soft flesh of her hips and thighs. She could already feel her second orgasm building, ready to crash over them. She wanted to hold out, to hold onto this sensation. One last time. 

Beth shouted when he pulled out of her, robbing her of that release that was right there. He dipped down to kiss her, his tongue invading her mouth, brushing over the rough of her mouth. His cock was hard against her thigh, slick with her arousal. He was trying to delay the inevitable too. 

Rio drew back from the kiss, breathing heavily as he looked down at her. “I  _ love _ you.” He whispered, his voice low and raspy as their noses brushed against each other. 

“I know.” Beth said softly, leaning up to kiss him once more. She reached down between them, curling her fingers around his cock loosely as she guided him back to her aching center. “ _ Please _ .” She breathed against his mouth.

He pressed back into her, rolling his hips as he filled her fully and drew back out. This time, Rio wasn’t slow, he was desperate and needy. And he kissed the same way he fucked her. With passion that stole the oxygen from her lungs. 

Beth’s nails tore into his shoulders, leaving welts in their wake as she clutched at him. She wanted to mark him, to make him  _ hurt _ — because he’d done both. 

“Fuck.” He hissed out against her lips and she could tell from the way his thrusts lost their rhythm that he was right at the cusp. Beth reached between them, her fingers finding her clit, pushing herself that much closer to the edge. Her inner walls clenched around him tightly, milking his release from him. 

Rio went stiff above her, his hips rocking unevenly as he spilled into her. Little aftershocks of pleasure making her tremble beneath him, her cunt fluttering around him, holding him in. She couldn’t let go of him. 

* * *

Morning seemed to come far too quickly. 

Beth came awake slowly, blinking as sunlight shone in through the window beside her. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t in her bed at home, she was tangled up in the sheets of Rio’s bed. She rubbed at her eyes, stifling a small yawn as she tried to convince herself not to fall back asleep. 

She licked her lips, wincing a little at just how sore they were from last night. 

_ Oh _ . 

Hesitantly, Beth stretched out her legs, feeling the lack of warmth beside her. Her foot didn’t find Rio’s leg beside her and the realization of his absence beside her hit her like a ton of bricks. 

Beth pulled the covers around her chest as she sat up, her eyes adjusting to the brightness of the room. He desperately needed curtains. The bedroom door was left wide open, but there was no sound of life in the kitchen, no shower running in the bathroom. She felt like she  _ had _ been shot. Like some part of her had been torn out of her chest and taken away from her. 

Her eyes were drawn to the strand of pearls hanging from the doorknob.

It was  _ done _ . 

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm sorry that this chapter was so sad. I really am. I can promise you that things WILL get better. There's a handful of 'chapters' left. I can't believe this is winding down. I love each and every one of you reading this. Your comments and readership warms my heart every day.


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